On our way…

We’ve trained relentlessly for 2 months now, swimming through the depths of winter, shivering, shaking and sometimes shrieking, but always sure of achieving our goal of becoming hardy enough to compete in the UK Cold Water Swimming Championships in London. And now we’re on our way, lugging ridiculous amounts of thermal vests, fur lined boots, lambs wool and cashmere sweaters (second hand), gloves, hats and Sarah Lund Scandinavian jumpers in preparation for the coldest swim of our lives!!! We’ve left behind the balmy waters of the West coast of Scotland and our friendly seals, otters, beavers, basking sharks, dolphins etc and now find ourselves on a Virgin Pendolino hurtling through the frozen countryside towards London. It’s quite disorientating for country bumpkins like us, but we’ll be fine once we get into our natural watery element again. Temperatures at the Lido are close to zero and we don’t know quite what to expect – but we know it will be VERY COLD!!!

This site is about my new Anglo-Israeli, yet-to-be-published novel, Night Swimming in the Jordan. It's also about both night and day swimming in the seas and rivers of Devon, England, where I have lived for 25 years.

Wild swimming or outdoor swimming in rivers, lakes, lidos and sea is a sport that is regaining popularity in the UK. This page highlights news items that illustrate the popularity and growth of wild swimming as well as comparing attitudes in the UK with those aboard.